treasure in jars of clay

Several evenings ago I began reading John MacArthur's book Hard to Believe -- The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus. The Gospel message has too often been diluted and compromised to become more culturally appealing. Yet Scripture is clear that when God calls an individual to Himself it is on His terms alone. Once when a large crowd was following Jesus, he made discipleship requirements startlingly clear: you must give up your life, bear your own cross and follow Him, and renounce all you have. Jesus' message should have given every person in that crowd pause. His words were not chosen so as to draw a larger crowd. Arguably, He intended to send the casual and curious followers home. Sacrifice, by definition, is never convenient.

MacArthur develops the theme of ordinary people, chosen by God Himself, who will become passionate disciples of Christ. The world's "nobodies" are called to a great work -- a great commission! "For God, who said "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." II Corinthians 4:6-7. MacArthur writes:

Paul was picking up all the brilliance, all the glory of the true revelation of God's nature manifest in Christ. He was trying to describe what is most indescribably and inexplicably beautiful in saying this treasure -- the treasure of the divine reality of the gospel -- resided in clay pots! We're baked dirt, that's what we are, carrying around the message of God's eternal kingdom of light and life.

So we follow on His terms and not ours. The cost may be high, but the value is infinite.